Posted!

Join the Conversation

America's strangest food competitions

Meredith Whitman, TheDailyMeal.com
4:49 a.m. MST July 29, 2013

Annual Testicle Festival — Montana: This unique festival is held annually in Clinton, Mont., and features a variety of contests, including a wet T-shirt contest. But the strangest (and most disgusting) of the competitions is the Ball-Eating Contest. The food of choice is deep-fried bull's testicles (available in different varieties). (Photo: flickr/RLEVANS)

World Slugburger Eating Championship — Mississippi: This contest features a local favorite, the Slugburger, a burger made of a mixture of beef and breading that's then deep-fried instead of grilled. The standard garnish is a pickle, onion, and mustard, and the winner can receive up to $3,000. In 2012, the winner was Matt "The Megatoad" Stonie, who consumed 30 burgers in 10 minutes. (Photo: flickr/jimmywayne)

World Kimichi Eating Championship — Illinois: Held in Chicago at the Korean Festival, the Kimchi-Eating Championship features the national dish of Korea, kimchi. The dish is made of spiced vegetables, mainly napa cabbage, radishes, cucumbers, and scallions, and is known for its health benefits. The contest is to see who can eat the most in eight minutes. (Photo: flickr/Taekwonweirdo)

Stuffed Quahog Eating Contest — Massachusetts: Competitors gather at the Stuffed Quahog-Eating Contest to consume as many stuffed quahogs in 90 seconds as their body will allow. The quahog is another name for a hard-shelled clam, which is particularly abundant between Cape Cod and New Jersey. Last year's winner was Rich Rogers, who consumed seven stuffed quahogs in 90 seconds. (Photo: flickr/Cool Librarian Photographer)

The Stockton Asparagus Festival — California: This festival celebrates the vegetable and raises money for local charities. One of the activities at the celebratory festival is the eating contest, in which participants eat deep-fried asparagus. This year, Matthew "The Megatoad" Stonie beat out Joey "Jaws" Chestnut by eating 9.5 pounds of the deep-fried vegetable. (Photo: flickr/mattbeckwith)

Cheese Curd Festival — Wisconsin: The cheese state celebrates its love for cheese curds at the annual Cheese Curd Festival. The festival is filled with various activities, but the day wouldn't be complete without a cheese-curd-eating competition. The competition has a variety of age categories, from 7 and under to 16 and up. The winners in each category receive a trophy, $10, and, of course, bragging rights. (Photo: flickr/casey_eisenreich)

World's Grits Festival — South Carolina: In the small town of St. George, S.C., participants gather to celebrate a Southern favorite at the World Grits Festival. The festival has two grits competitions: rolling in the grits (participants roll in a pool of grits and attempt to cover themselves completely in the food) and a grits-eating competition, in which competitors race to finish their bowl the fastest. (Photo: World Of Grits)

The Day-Lee Foods World Gyoza Eating Championship — California: When dumplings taste this good, why stop after just 200? This competition takes place at the Nisei Week Foundation Festival in Los Angeles, and the cash prizes add up to $6,000. Last year's winner was Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, who ate a record 266 dumplings in 10 minutes. (Photo: flickr/Sklathill)

Acme Oyster Eating World Championship — Louisiana: The New Orleans Oyster Festival celebrates the delicious oysters served throughout the city at various restaurants. A highlight of the festival is the Oyster-Eating Contest, sponsored by Acme Oyster House. Contenders are required to use forks (they are not allowed to lift the oyster and slurp it down) and all oysters must be cleared from their tray before starting another one. In 2010, Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas won the competition with a record 47 dozen oysters in just eight minutes. This year, Thomas took the top prize again, albeit with only 24 dozen oysters. (Photo: Acme Oyster House)

Oktoberfest Zinzinnati World Bratwurst-Eating Championship — Ohio: Taking place at America's largest Oktoberfest, this competition has a cash prize of around $2,000. The festival occurs in September and contestants try to eat as many bratwursts as they can in 10 minutes. The winner in 2012 (and the seven-time winner of the Nathan's Hot-Dog-Eating Contest) was Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, with 37 bratwursts (short of his world record of 42). (Photo: facebook/oktoberfestzinzinnati)

Like this topic? You may also like these photo galleries:

Acme Oyster Eating World Championship — Louisiana: The New Orleans Oyster Festival celebrates the delicious oysters served throughout the city at various restaurants. A highlight of the festival is the Oyster-Eating Contest, sponsored by Acme Oyster House. Contenders are required to use forks (they are not allowed to lift the oyster and slurp it down) and all oysters must be cleared from their tray before starting another one. In 2010, Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas won the competition with a record 47 dozen oysters in just eight minutes. This year, Thomas took the top prize again, albeit with only 24 dozen oysters.(Photo: Acme Oyster House)

Watching competitive eating is a bizarrely popular pastime enjoyed by many Americans, and for the brave few who actually participate in the sport, it can be a career. Around the country, people gather to watch others consume absurd amounts of food in record times, sometimes for a cash prize, and sometimes just because. Competitors' seemingly super-human abilities often can cause us to stare, if not feel a little queasy — and even, in some extreme cases, potentially convince us to join in the action.

We've compiled and ranked a list of some of the strangest food competitions across the country. From the legendary Nathan's Famous Hot-Dog-Eating Contest every Fourth of July to small local festivals, these contests gather a crowd.

Some competitions are about celebrating culinary traditions, like the Stuffed Quahog-Eating Contest. Other contests are purely about quantity, like the Nugget Rib Cook-Off World Rib-Eating Championship. Lastly, some competitions, including the Testicle Festival in Montana, are essentially for the spectacle.

Some driven eaters like the famous Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, are known throughout the competitive eating world and hold multiple competition titles. Other participants range in background and motivation, but deserve no less attention for wanting to gorge themselves on as much food as possible.

To make our list of the craziest food competitions, events have to be held annually (including this year) and cannot be performed at a restaurant (sorry, monster burrito challenges). They were then ranked based on the popularity of the given food (assuming that most folks are more likely to eat hot dogs than they are testicles), the type and amount (if any) of reward, and whether or not they have any special rules.

Taking place at America's largest Oktoberfest, this competition has a cash prize of around $2,000. The festival occurs in September and contestants try to eat as many bratwursts as they can in 10 minutes. The winner in 2012 (and the seven-time winner of the Nathan's Hot-Dog-Eating Contest) was Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, with 37 bratwursts (short of his world record of 42).

9. Acme Oyster Eating World Championship — Louisiana

The New Orleans Oyster Festival celebrates the delicious oysters served throughout the city at various restaurants. A highlight of the festival is the Oyster-Eating Contest, sponsored by Acme Oyster House. Contenders are required to use forks (they are not allowed to lift the oyster and slurp it down) and all oysters must be cleared from their tray before starting another one. In 2010, Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas won the competition with a record 47 dozen oysters in just eight minutes. This year, Thomas took the top prize again, albeit with only 24 dozen oysters.

8. The Day-Lee Foods World Gyoza Eating Championship — California

When dumplings taste this good, why stop after just 200? This competition takes place at the Nisei Week Foundation Festival in Los Angeles, and the cash prizes add up to $6,000. Last year's winner was Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, who ate a record 266 dumplings in 10 minutes.

7. World's Grits Festival — South Carolina

In the small town of St. George, S.C., participants gather to celebrate a Southern favorite at the World Grits Festival. The festival has two grits competitions: rolling in the grits (participants roll in a pool of grits and attempt to cover themselves completely in the food) and a grits-eating competition, in which competitors race to finish their bowl the fastest.

6. Cheese Curd Festival — Wisconsin

The cheese state celebrates its love for cheese curds at the annual Cheese Curd Festival. The festival is filled with various activities, but the day wouldn't be complete without a cheese-curd-eating competition. The competition has a variety of age categories, from 7 and under to 16 and up. The winners in each category receive a trophy, $10, and, of course, bragging rights.

5. The Stockton Asparagus Festival — California

This festival celebrates the vegetable and raises money for local charities. One of the activities at the celebratory festival is the eating contest, in which participants eat deep-fried asparagus. This year, Matthew "The Megatoad" Stonie beat out Joey "Jaws" Chestnut by eating 9.5 pounds of the deep-fried vegetable.

4. Stuffed Quahog Eating Contest — Massachusetts

Competitors gather at the Stuffed Quahog-Eating Contest to consume as many stuffed quahogs in 90 seconds as their body will allow. The quahog is another name for a hard-shelled clam, which is particularly abundant between Cape Cod and New Jersey. Last year's winner was Rich Rogers, who consumed seven stuffed quahogs in 90 seconds.

3. World Kimichi Eating Championship — Illinois

Held in Chicago at the Korean Festival, the Kimchi-Eating Championship features the national dish of Korea, kimchi. The dish is made of spiced vegetables, mainly napa cabbage, radishes, cucumbers, and scallions, and is known for its health benefits. The contest is to see who can eat the most in eight minutes.

2. World Slugburger Eating Championship — Mississippi

This contest features a local favorite, the Slugburger, a burger made of a mixture of beef and breading that's then deep-fried instead of grilled. The standard garnish is a pickle, onion, and mustard, and the winner can receive up to $3,000. In 2012, the winner was Matt "The Megatoad" Stonie, who consumed 30 burgers in 10 minutes.

1. Annual Testicle Festival — Montana

This unique festival is held annually in Clinton, Mont., and features a variety of contests, including a wet T-shirt contest. But the strangest (and most disgusting) of the competitions is the Ball-Eating Contest. The food of choice is deep-fried bull's testicles (available in different varieties), which the festival is dedicated to.